Distinguished Lecturer
A Talk to Teachers: Bending Twigs and Affecting Eternity
Conference: Psi Chi/NEPA Regional Convention Program (2009)
After teaching at The College of Wooster in Ohio and Elmira College in upstate New York, Charles joined the faculty at Furman University in 1967, was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1970, and was named the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology in 1998. Charles has received many local, state, and national awards, including the American Psychological Foundation’s (APF) Distinguished Teaching Award in 1989 and the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training Award in 1995. A book, The Teaching of Psychology: Essays in Honor of Wilbert J. McKeachie and Charles L. Brewer, was published in 2002. In 2003, the APF named its Distinguished Teaching Award in honor of Charles. He received an APA presidential citation in 2005 “as one of our discipline’s most esteemed colleagues” and “in recognition of his extraordinarily distinguished career.” In 2008, he received the APA’s Raymond D. Fowler Award for his “exemplary contributions to teaching, the APA, and the discipline of psychology.” Charles has been president of APA’s Division 1 (General) and Division 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology) as well as president of the Southeastern Psychological Association. In other APA governance, Charles was a member of the Board of Educational Affairs, the Council of Representatives, and the Board of Directors. He is now a member of APF’s Board of Trustees. Charles is a Fellow of APA’s Divisions 1, 2, 3 (Experimental), 26 (History), and 52 (International). During 1985-1996, he was editor of Teaching of Psychology, the official journal of APA’s Division 2, and was named Editor Emeritus in 1996. He has written numerous book chapters and co-edited several books about teaching. After 50 years in the classroom, Charles hopes that his students are as eager to learn as he is to teach.